


Keep Your Friends Close

by roosterteethrambles



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Hogwarts AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 06:11:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16867600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roosterteethrambles/pseuds/roosterteethrambles
Summary: Having a friend who's also your rival is confusing enough, much less when there's hormones in the mix, too.





	Keep Your Friends Close

**Author's Note:**

> This was a commission for one of Rambles' first ever followers!! Irene's been the best. I also included my old Harry Potter RP OC and like, way Mary-Sued him bc it's my fic and I CAN

You read the back of your Chocolate Frog card smugly, taking in the brand new information before reaching into your bag to grab the special binder you got for your ninth birthday and filling one of the few empty gaps. The sound of a throat clearing startles you, and you notice a group of kids stood at the door of your compartment. “Uh, hi,” pipes up one, a boy with fluffy dark brown hair and what seems to be a permanent grin. “Sorry, I’m Miles. Uh, we’ve been looking for a place for all of us to sit for a while, and -”

You sigh. “Say no more,” you start as you put your binder back in your bag and slide the strap over your shoulder.

Miles cocks his head, “Where are you going?”

You shrug, “Well, you guys want this booth, you can have it.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to leave!” Miles bounds in to sit by the window, startling the other boy who had been hiding behind him. “C’mon, Chris, you can’t hide from _everyone_ forever!”

“Yeah, Chris,” a boy whose dark hair fell into his bright blue eyes nudges his friend, who appears almost Petrified. “What, is it because there’s a _girl_ around?”

“Hey,” a blonde girl pipes up from behind, “that’s not true, Aaron. He’s always been able to talk to me! Don’t worry, Chris,” the girl smiles warmly to her friend before taking a seat next to you. “Hi! I’m Barbara!”

“Y/N,” you introduce yourself to everyone as the compartment fills up.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N!” She smiles warmly before gesturing to each of her friends. “Well, Miles already introduced himself...This is Kerry,” she points to the sandy-haired person next to Miles, “Lindsay,” a red-haired girl having a staring contest with her cat, “Blaine,” a floppy-haired boy with big brown eyes waves to you, and you return it, “Chris in the corner there, and this one’s Aaron,” she nudges the person next to her with her elbow.

You worry that you’re not going to be able to fit in with this group, but conversation starts a lot easier than you could ever have hoped for. You learn that they all lived in the same town and pretty much grew up together, but they’re intrigued to know what it’s like growing up with “nothing but Muggles”, so they’re all very much interested in what you’ve got to say too.

As various members come and go through the compartments, eventually Chris ends up sat next to you. His cat, a sleek, all-white creature with amber eyes stretches over from his lap to yours. You start stroking the creature just by its neck and it melts into a puddle of fluff under your touch. You grin as you feel it purr and Chris eventually pipes up, “She likes you.”

You shrug. “Well, she's a cat. She just likes attention. Watch.” You stop stroking her and she curls back up to rub her head against Chris’ hand. You laugh, “See? That's why I didn't want a cat. Too much fuss.”

Chris looks at you with wide eyes. “Why wouldn't you want a cat?!”

Where he had paused showing his affection to his cat, as if on cue she pounces onto his hand, claws out. Chris winces out and hisses in pain, and you help him fight his cat off with a, “See, that's why! Most owls don't attack you if you're not constantly paying attention to them, plus they're like a personal mail carrier.”

Chris narrows his eyes, “Yeah but Hogwarts already has their own owls, and you'll only see yours if it's returning mail you already sent out to somebody! Otherwise it'll be a delivery owl. And some of them are mean. They have those talons,” Chris bends his fingers to mimic claws, “and they could poop on you.”

“Well, Chris, this is a great first conversation,” you comment sarcastically and he ducks his head down.

“Sorry. I don't really have a filter.”

“It's fine. But some kids might not like it as much as your friends and me,” you warn with a shrug.

Chris pokes you in the arm to get you to look at him. “I'd say you're a part of our friends group,” he smiles lopsided. You return it warmly and thank Chris before listening to what the rest of the group were talking about.

You and Aaron end up being Slytherins. Miles and Blaine are Gryffindors. Lindsay and Kerry are sorted into Hufflepuff and Chris and Barbara end up being Ravenclaws. When Lindsay is Sorted, as the last member of your group, you then turn to Aaron next to you and comment, “We're all evened out across the houses!”

“Yeah, I guess we are,” Aaron nods, scrunching his nose up a little as he looks for both people on each table. “Didn't peg you as a Slytherin though.”

You shrug, “It's what the Hat said.”

When you get to your dorm, you notice all your bags are there except for your owl cage. You find the Slytherin prefect, a lanky boy with lots of hair, round glasses and a near-permanent scowl that had introduced himself as Gus, let the other prefect introduce herself and promptly followed with, “and Gus.”

You approach him slowly with a, “Hey, do you know where my owl is?”

“Yeah, they're kept in the owlery. It's this huge-ass tower, c’mere,” Gus beckons you over to the center of the common room. A big glass dome tops it, looking out at the surrounding castle. “Uh, let me see,” Gus taps his lower lip as he looks around. “I'm pretty sure that one’s Gryffindor Tower, and that one's the owlery. Could be wrong, though,” he shrugs before grinning to you. “Why, does someone wanna write home already?”

You glare defensively. “No. Just wanna know where my pet is.”

Gus chuckles. “Yeah, there's that, I guess. You won't be able to send stuff outside of the building from here, you'd have to send it from the owlery anyway. Plus, birds poop,” Gus makes a face of discontent.

You point out, “So does literally every animal!”

Gus shrugs, “Eh. I'll take all you firsties on the tour tomorrow and I'll show you then.”

“I can always go and find it now!” you offer.

“Alone? Finding something in Hogwarts? On your first day?!” Gus asks incredulously and you nod. He shrugs, holding his hands up. “Alright. Just don't come crying to me when you get horrifically lost.”

Surprisingly, you don't. The paintings seem quite charmed by the innocent first-year asking about her owl, and gently point you in the right direction, even telling you which painting to look for next. You laugh when you see the occasional familiar face pop through the frame to make sure you went the right way. You go to pick up your owl and take it back to your common room, making a note to sashay past Gus with a very smug smile.

You write a note, “Hope you guys settled in okay! See, I can send you these at any time I want! Owls are better. -Y/N” and attach it to your owl’s leg. “Alright, this is going to Ravenclaw Tower, do you know where that is?” The bird let's out a single hoot and you take that as confirmation. “Alright, the guy you're looking for is called Chris, probably best to keep waiting around until you hear him being spoken to. Got it?” The owl hoots again and you wave it towards the door, watching it take off with a sense of awe.

Aaron snorts from the seat next to you, “Sending love letters already?”

Your face turns bright red. “No! It's just on the train he tried telling me owls were useless as pets so I'm proving him wrong.”

“Whatever. You kids are cute,” Aaron smirks from behind his book.

“Hey, wasn't Chris saying on the train he's older than you?” you ask.

“Hey, remember what Chris said? I sure do. I love talking to Chris and listening to Chris all the time,” Aaron mocks your voice wistfully and you throw a cushion in his face. Your owl soon returns with a roll of parchment with your  name on a tag tied around it.

It feels wet, so you open it at arm's length, laughing at the reason why. Chris had started a rant on how cats were way better, but most of the roll was then covered in ink. In one of the spots where it hadn't reached, Chris had scrawled, “Sorry. Cat knocked over my ink bottle. Point still stands. Better than owl.”

You sigh, giving the roll to Aaron for him to read and getting out a fresh scroll yourself. “If you got any on your clothes, spray hairspray on it and soak it. You wouldn't have known that if I didn't send this message to you. Score one for the owls.” You attach it back to the bird who soon flies off again.

Owls versus Cats is the first of many debates you grow to have with Chris. Sometimes it's Liquorice Wands versus Fizzing Whizbees  (“C’mon Chris, where's the fun in liquorice when you can _float_?!” “That's the exact reason I don't trust them!”). Sometimes it’s pumpkin juice versus Butterbeer (“Look, pumpkin juice is refreshing and light, which is what a drink should be!” “Butterbeer is sweet and warm, which is what I like in a drink, thank you, Demarais.”) Sometimes it's which Weird Sisters song is better (“I'm not a fan of songs that have a specific routine,” Chris had yelled while you loudly played and danced to Do the Hippogriff with your middle fingers raised).

In second year, you're all sat in your spot by the lake, a list of all the possible electives sprawled in the middle of the whole group. You ask, “Is it cheating my way to an easy O if I take Muggle Studies?”

“You wouldn't be able to,” Lindsay points her wand at the little number next to the subject title and then to the corresponding number on the next scroll which reads _Muggle Studies can only be taken by those of a purely magical upbringing._ “Nice try, though,” she smirks.

“I could take it and you could help me get an easy O!” Blaine offers with a laugh.

You rasp, “In your dreams, Gibson. Runes are pretty cool. I might take that and Care of Magical Creatures.”

“What, no Arithmancy?” Aaron frowns. “I’m gonna be the only one!”

You shrug, “Nah. I still want some free time, especially if I get onto the Quidditch team this year and next.”

The group fills with excited gasps. “For real?!” “That's awesome!” “Go for it, Y/N!”

Miles even outstretches his hand to you, “You’re trying out this year? Hey, me too!” You meet his palm with your own in a high five and he grins, “Maybe we’ll be up against each other!”

You join your friends in the excited clamour over Miles also going for tryouts - well, almost all your friends. Chris rolls his eyes as he contemplates his list of subjects. you notice and frown, “What's up, Chris?”

He sighs, “Quidditch is just a waste of time. What, you fly around and throw a ball, try not to get actively killed by someone you probably share classes with, and no matter what everyone else does, the whole match depends on one person anyway so what's even the point in the other six players being there?!”

Everyone falls silent, looking at Chris in disbelief. “You did _not_ just say that Quidditch is pointless.”

You lean over to see he's ticked Divination. “How can you call anything a waste of time when you've picked Divination?!”

Chris shields his scroll from everyone with his arm, frowning. “Hey, my Grandma’s a Seer! I might have the Gift too!”

You nod apologetically, and Chris smiles back in acceptance. The others, however… “You can't honestly believe in that crap!”

“C'mon then, Chris, tell me my future. Am I gonna meet someone with a letter in their name in the near or distant future?”

“I wonder how I'm gonna die - hey Chris, you wanna make me some tea and then tell me when I'm done?”

Part of you wants to laugh along, but you can tell it's really striking a nerve with Chris. “Hey, guys. Make fun of this Demarais,” you jerk your thumb at him, “all you want, but not his family!”

“Yeah, they've suffered enough having this around for thirteen years!” Chris points at himself and laughs, as does everyone else. When everyone's not looking, you feel something press against your cheek. The only clue you have to figuring out what it was is Chris shuffling back to his original spot. You hide your face with your hair, hoping the one red patch wouldn't show too much.

It's the day of your Quidditch tryout. You're awoken by a sudden draft right in your face. You pull your covers up, suddenly regretting your decision to even attempt to get on the team. You feel something on your head through the covers and shake it, earning an indignant hoot from the other side. You pull your quilt down and see your owl just land on your nightstand, perching on the package in its talons.

You stroke just by its neck, “I'm sorry. Big day today.” The owl gently pecks at your finger in affection, nuzzling against your palm before taking off again, gliding down the stairway to the common room.

You unwrap the package and see a pair of finely crafted fingerless leather gloves. There's also a card inside:

Dear Y/N,

I had to go get your owl because I'm not allowed in your dorm and I'm pretty sure you're getting cold feet.

_At least you won't get cold hands! -B.D_

...Anyway. Don't forget to kick ass and take names today. You'll be the best Seeker! -Aaron

Y/N, I hope you don't get on the team purely because I'm trying out for Beater and I don't wanna have to launch any Bludgers at you. But if I don’t make it, then I really hope you do! -Miles

Hey Y/N! Good luck today! You can do it! I can't actually cheer for you because I have Potions during your tryout but mentally I always am! -Lindsay

Real talk, all puns aside, relax about today. You're gonna do great! Love you! -Barbara

If you get on the team, can you get me the name of that fourth year Chaser? I'm kidding, good luck out there! -Blaine

Damn it, now I gotta support Slytherin from now on. That's a joke. The disappointment bit, not the supporting you. I'm not good at this. -Kerry

Well, my point still stands but at least you're gonna be the least useless member. I might even turn up to some games now! -Chris

You grin, jumping up out of bed and running down to the common room to pounce on Aaron, hugging him tightly. “Thank you for helping me get out of bed.

He laughs as he hugs you back. “Whoa now, if that's how you're gonna react to me, I think you and Chris will need a whole other room!”

You roll your eyes and sigh, “Are you really gonna start this again? There's nothing happening between us!”

“I wasn't talking about that,” Aaron starts defensively. “I meant that he's the one who suggested we get the card in the first place.”

You chew on your lip and run back to your dorm to grab your Christmas present from Aaron from last year - a whistle that could summon your owl to you from anywhere on Hogwarts grounds. You blow on it and scrawl out a quick note while you wait for your bird: “Chris. Meet me outside Ravenclaw Tower asap. Super important. -Y/N”

When your owl gets to you, you give it your note, tell it where to go and quickly get dressed, running after the bird to the other house’s residence. Chris is stood outside looking around, his perpetual look of confusion gracing his face. You run over to him and wrap your arms around him tightly, almost knocking him to the ground.

“Hey, Y/N!” he laughs when he realises, holding onto your arm in an attempt to return your embrace. “What's up?”

“Aaron told me you put together that whole thing to wish me luck for tryouts.”

Chris rasps, “Pfft, well, I would've done it for anyone, not just you!”

You side-eye Chris as you pull away, noting how suddenly unlike him that remark was. “I didn't say you wouldn't…”

It looks as though he's cursing himself internally, but still he continues, “No, I meant… You know… Good luck today.”

You smile. “Thanks, Chris. From someone who thought Quidditch was pointless, that means a lot.”

“Oh, I still do,” Chris shakes his head. “But if being on the team is important to you, it's important to me,” he shrugs before widening his eyes. “Uh, the same way it would if Miles gets in. Or any of our friends in future,” he adds hurriedly, his voice a little louder than usual.

“O...kay then,” you narrow your eyes, finding his sudden changes in tone a little strange and hard to follow. “Well, I just wanted you to know that I was really getting cold feet about going, but that was the thing to get my butt outta bed and really want to do it.”

Chris smiles warmly. “I'm glad. And I'm sure you will be too once it's done! Now c’mon, breakfast is starting!”

You shrug, rubbing your tummy. “I dunno, man, I'm not feeling so gr-”

“You're nervous, that's why. Food will calm that,” Barbara pipes up as she makes her way through the portrait hole.

You hug her tightly, too. “Thank you for your message in my card. It made me laugh!”

“See? Someone appreciates my puns,” Barbara sticks her tongue out at Chris, who rolls his eyes to look at you.

“Don't feed her ego, please.”

“What? She's funny!” you frown.

“You've still not quite known her long enough yet. Give it time,” he nods, and Barbara hits his chest.

“Hey, not cool!” she glares.

“It's also not cool to hit your friends,” you mumble, and Chris folds his arms with a smug smile.

“You've still not known him long enough yet, give it time,” Barbara mocks Chris’ remark from earlier, and Chris pulls a face back.

You look between the both of them and laugh as they lead you down to the Great Hall. The storm in your stomach seems to have settled into a more gentle lull.

It picks up again once you're finished with breakfast and you know what's ahead. You feel Blaine approach you and squeeze your shoulder comfortingly. Miles ruffles your hair, earning him an indignant look which in turn he laughs at. Kerry punches your arm playfully with a “Go get ‘em, Tiger!” Barbara and Lindsay hug you tightly. Aaron takes your hand and squeezes it with a smile.

Everyone jeers about Chris’ opinion on sport as he approaches you but you shush them. “Has someone already used the line ‘go get ‘em’?” he asks.

“Yep! You're too late!” Kerry beams proudly.

Chris shrugs, “Well. Good luck, Y/N. Kick ass out there, okay?”

You laugh nervously. “I doubt I will, I'll be one of the youngest people trying out.”

While everyone else tries to convince you you'll do it, Chris shrugs, “Eh, so this year might not be your one. There's always others. Do you only want Seeker?”

You shrug, “Chaser might be pretty cool.”

“When does the next Chaser leave?” Chris asks.

“One's in sixth year, there's one in third and the other’s in fourth,” you count them off on your fingers, squeezing one eye shut.

“Okay, so say you don't get in this year.” Even you can feel the collective glare at Chris but still he continues. “That's two more years of practice - or maybe even one, maybe they drop out because of exams! Either way, don't get bummed if this year isn't your year.”

You give him the biggest smile, which he returns. Aaron sighs, “You're so lucky I've known you so long or I'd totally kick your ass right now.”

“Hey now,” you mutter, “the only person kicking ass today is me!” Everyone cheers and pats your back as you stand, making your way to the Quidditch grounds.

You don't make the team as Seeker that year. Or third year as Chaser. Third year’s kind of a blur for you anyway. All the extra pressures from extra classes has you barely noticing time flying past. You're really enjoying learning about Ancient Runes, but you're not the only one. One other person is at the top of the class too. Chris Demarais. Sometimes you get a higher mark than him, that's always a good day. Sometimes he gets the higher result, that's never a good day. Neither of you have gotten a perfect score yet but you can't wait for the day that you get to lord the first 100 over him.

Third year also means the start of trips to Hogsmeade. You generally go to Honeydukes to chase Chris around with boxes of Fizzing Whizbees (“You’ll love them!” “Get your devilish floaty candy outta here!”) There was one time where Chris had offered you a Liquorice Wand to ‘duel’ you with it, and he winced as you gave up and bit into it as he hadn’t actually paid for it. Despite you throwing change onto the counter and muttering countless apologies, the server pushes it all back to you, adding with a wink, “You kids are cute together.” They laugh as you and Chris hastily stammer out all denial of being a couple. When you catch each others’ eye, you both blush heavily and look away. That was the first and last Liquorice Duel...In public, anyway.

After that the group tends to go to Dominic Maestro’s, the music shop. You love it there for the self-playing instruments, and because it’s always funny to see those who try and take control of them only for the piano’s stool to move from underneath them, or for the violin to start batting at their head with its bow. You constantly eye the instruments wistfully, hoping to save up for one of your own.

You have two personal favourite places to go. One is Gladrags Wizardwear, the clothes store. Even though nine times out of ten none of you need to buy anything, it’s still always fun to try on outfits you could never afford - or challenge your friends to try on the more obscure ones. You all joke about how everyone’s going to get at least one set of Gladrags’ famed unusual socks for Christmas.

Your other favourite place is the Three Broomsticks. While the others would probably say theirs is Zonko’s joke shop - and while you would say that that’s a perfectly entertaining way to spend an afternoon, there’s nothing quite like sitting by the fire with some Butterbeer, laughing at how the foam settles on everyone’s upper lip (“Hey Miles, you finally learned how to grow facial hair!” “Screw you!”) The only problem is that to get past it, you generally have to walk past Spintwitches, the sporting goods store. You stare at the window every time with an air of wistful sadness, and Chris often hangs back to wait with you, giving you a minute to let yourself feel sad before nudging you and leading you over to everyone else. Maybe that’s another reason why you love going to the Broomsticks so much. Wait, what?

As sweet as that side of Chris is, he’s back to his usual competitive self at school again. You’re thankful that he doesn’t take Care of Magical Creatures, because honestly you don’t think you could compete around all those animals.

It’s not until fourth year that the first 100 of the class is dished out. You take great pride in casting Gemino on it to take a copy around with you to leave with Chris at any moment that he starts to annoy you. Generally the rest of the group takes it too far and you apologise to Chris, but he waves it off. He knows it’s just a joke between you two.

Fourth year’s also kind of hormonal for everyone. Crushes start developing. Puberty starts happening. Lindsay gets together with her housemate Michael after a lot of wingmanship throughout the entire group, and you can't help but feel a little bit jealous of them. You wish you didn't, but it's there. You instead focus on throwing yourself into your studies - after all, you now have a perfect 100 to maintain. Oh, and the whole finally getting the position of Slytherin Seeker thing.

There's only one problem. When the tables turn and Chris gets a 100 to your 99, your hormones throw you right out of proportion. You refuse to talk to anyone, you find it hard to stomach food at meal times. Some Hufflepuff kindly informs you of the Room of Requirement. You go to its supposed location and ask it for a room to vent in as long as your friends can still find you so they don't worry. A door opens and you're greeted with a room full of stuffed toys, blankets, pillows. Soft music is playing. There's shelves full of books, shelves full of plates - you assume they're in case you're feeling angry.

You can't stop thinking about Chris for some reason. Your immediate reactions realise that it's probably because of his high score but it seems like more than that now. A few minutes later, as though on cue, a knock on the door sounds. You invite the person in and yep, it's Chris.

He looks over to you sheepishly. “I wa- we were getting worried about you,” he blurts out, hurriedly correcting himself. “And then your owl come over to me in the common room and started hooting at me and when I stood up it hopped around so I followed it and it led me here.”

You pat the seat next to you on the couch you've chosen to sit on. “Feel free to grab a blanket too,” you call out from the one you've wrapped yourself in.

Chris sits sideways beside you, frowning. “What's up with you lately? You've been awful upset these days.”

You wave him off. “Nah, I'm just being dumb.”

“Y/N,” he moves his head to make sure you're looking at him. “You're like the smartest person I know! Well, besides me,” he smirks and you kick at him playfully. He laughs as he fights back with his own feet, “What? It's true!” He leans over to bat your legs away and you combat him with your own, both of you laughing as you play fight. It's all fun and games until it seems like Chris is winning, and that's when it gets serious for you. With all your strength, you counter him completely until you both fall onto the (luckily padded) floor, you pinning him down.

You look down at him and both of you turn bright red. You sit bolt upright suddenly, as does he. You're both way closer than you anticipate. His brown eyes are peppered with flecks of darker colour.  His hair looks perfect to play with and his lips look so soft and - You stop yourself. No. No, no, no. This is Chris. Chris your friend amongst the group. Chris your rival amongst the class. You can't have another relationship with him, things are already confusing enough as it is and - dear God, why's he looking at you like that and why are you staring at him with every ounce of fear in your face. You stammer out an apology and bolt out the door.

You run and run and run until you hit the common room. You just want to go to your dorm when you hear, “Y/N! There you are!” Aaron rushes over to you and you immediately break down in tears. You don't know why that's your reaction, but Aaron pulls you into a tight hug which you reciprocate. You both sit on the couch curled up and you pour your heart out to your housemate.

Aaron grins, “I guess it'd be kinda shitty to say I've been calling it this entire time.”

You sniff. “Calling what?”

“You have a crush on Chris,” he teases in a sing-song voice.

That word resonates deep in you. It clangs about in your head with a complete echoing din. “No,” you practically shout out loud. “No, I can't have a - I'm not a - he's Chris and I'm - He's not eve- uuugghhh,” you grab a pillow and yell into it, making Aaron laugh.

“If it helps, I know how you feel,” he adds. You stop suddenly, sitting up straight and looking up at him. He nods and continues, “Yeah, uh, I don't know how surprising this will be but I've had a thing for Barbara for quite some time now and - oof!” Aaron laughs as you tackle him into a hug.

“That's so great!” you cheer and he waves you off.

“Nah, she's way outta my league,” he sighs sadly.

You bat his arm. “Not at all! You guys are made for each other!”

He raises his eyebrows at you. “What, and you and Chris aren't? Yeah, right,” he scoffs.

You stutter, “N-no, well… Chris and I have been in competition in class since forever, I can barely keep that rivalry up, let alone any other kind of relationship and just-” You lay across the couch, resting your head in your friend’s lap. “Why is this so confusing?”

“Beats me,” Aaron shrugs, “I've been trying to learn that myself for weeks now. He pokes you in the side, “Hey, wait a minute,” he drawls out slowly with a grin.

Your eyes widen. “Uh-oh.”

“The Yule Ball happens every seven years now, right?” he asks.

You nod, “Yeah, but that's not until next year!”

“Exactly. If you go to it with Chris, I'll ask Barbara too,” Aaron offers.

Too tired with all these emotions to continue, you merely huff out a sigh with a, “Fine.” Aaron punches the air.

You grab the box of Liquorice Wands you bought on your last trip to Honeydukes and some writing supplies and head back out. Aaron notices and smirks, “Owlery? Why not give them to Chris himself?”

You turn bright red at how well your housemate can read you. “I-I ran away from him just now, he won't want to - I'm the last person he'd want to see!”

Aaron shakes his head with a chuckle, and you just about hear him mumble, “The day you're the last person Chris wants to see is the day I eat my hat.”

Perplexed, you continue out, though your feet seem to be taking you left when the owlery is a right. Before you know it, you're stood before the great bronze knocker. “You aren't of Raven colours,” it points out.

You're about to stammer a nervous apology and leave before one of the paintings recognises you. “Ah, you're here for your friends, aren't you!” You nod and it continues, “The boy or the girl?”

“The boy, please,” you ask warily, and the painting winks at you, leaving you unsettled as you stand and wait.

Moments later, the door opens and Chris emerges, looking brightly at you with a, “Y/N!”

You lick your lips, holding the box of candy between you at arm's length. “I'm sorry I ran away,” you murmur, and Chris takes it happily as he pulls you into a hug.

The embrace is tight and warm. His hand rubs up down your back, his arms wrap tightly around you and you bury your faces in each other's shoulders. You don't want to let go until Chris does, but he shows no sign of stopping.

After an eternity, Chris pulls away to say, “Did you want to come and share these with me?”

Nervous, you stutter out a quick apology that you have Creatures homework to catch up on, promising him, “Next time!”

Aaron demands to know every detail of what took you so long when you get back. You tell him and he pulls a wistful face. You throw a pillow at him and he laughs.

That summer, you get an extra owl, telling you that you've made prefect. You dance around your whole house and when you go to Diagon Alley, a very excited Lindsay tackles you into a hug right in the middle of her own prefect robe fitting. When you all meet up, it turns out there was only one other prefect in your group. Chris swings his bag from Madam Malkin’s as he strolls up to Fortescue’s ice cream shop to meet you all.

Everyone cheers congratulations for the three of you and it feels like they mean it. No hidden spite. Even Aaron had said, “Rather you than me!”

Your brow furrows, “What does that mean?”

“Well, there's OWLs, your Quidditch, now your Prefect duties…” he lists each one off on his fingers.

“Yeah, it was nice knowing you, Y/N,” Barbara smirks from behind her cone.

You look down at your lap sadly. They're right. It doesn't help that Chris tries to offer, “Well, Quidditch is a load of garbage anyway, so - oof!” You don't look up at the sound of Aaron hitting Chris’ chest, but you do smile.

You hear him hiss, “Chris. She worked for _four years_ to get that position. Alright, just because you can't commit to something for more than 30 minutes it doesn't give you the right to -”

Chris interrupts him with a chuckle. “Hah, you make it sound like you've been wanting to date me!”

Aaron leans back, placing his hands behind his head. “Ha! Yeah right. You'd be lucky to have even a shot at this, Demarais.” Your eyes flicker up to Barbara, who's watching Aaron intensely. You smile to yourself again, wringing your hands with anxiety. Maybe Aaron's forgotten this whole offer thing he proposed last year. Maybe you won't have to admit your feelings to someone who, quote, _can't commit_.

On the Express, you get called into the Prefects compartment. You, Lindsay and Chris all head in and are soon greeted by the already existing Prefects of your own houses. You look around before noticing something. Tobias Walker, seventh year Ravenclaw, Keeper, almost straight-O student. His Head Boy badge flashes on his robe. You keep trying to get his attention but he's constantly flocked by people congratulating him. You give up and flop down into a seat. It’s not until you see the Hogsmeade station sign whizz past that you feel a tap on your shoulder. Piercing green eyes meet yours as Tobias smiles, “Hey, I hear you’ve been looking for me.”

“Well, kinda, yeah…” you stammer. “I just wanted some advice from someone else who has Prefect duties, Quidditch, good grades and a social life.”

Tobias laughs, “Ha, yeah, it's a tough one. At first I thought I'd need a Time Turner, but,” he shrugs. “It's just all about keeping yourself to a routine. Once you find out when your practices, classes and duties are, write them all down together. Quidditch captains always work with their head of house so that they're aware there's no clashes. Plus I kinda feel like it's better to only see yours friends on occasion instead of almost every hour. More for you guys to talk about,” he shrugs.

You grin too him, “Thanks, Tobias!”

He shrugs, “Toby,” before looking over to Chris. “That's one of your friends there, isn't it? My new Prefect.

You nod, “Yup, that's Chris. Constantly trying to one-up me in class, thinks I'm wasting my time with Quidditch while he gets to spend it studying.”

“Well, you seem to be doing good keeping him at bay. You let me know if he gets out of line and I'll set him straight,” Toby looks to you with affirmation. “Well, I better go grab my other friends now. Great meeting you, uh…” He narrows his eyes at you. You giggle as you tell him your name and he slaps his forehead, “Duh, Y/N! See you around!”

“Bye,” you wave as he leaves the compartment. When you rejoin Chris and Lindsay and agree to find the others, Chris storms ahead a little, and Lindsay smirks at you knowingly. “Oh god,” you say aloud as you look at her expression and she laughs.

“You were pretty cosy with Toby Walker there,” she notes.

“I only asked him how he keeps up so many activities as well as classes!” you sputter out.

“Oh come on, you gotta be a sucker for those _big green eyes_ that everyone falls head over heels for,” Lindsay teases, and you shrug.

“I've always preferred brown eyes,” you blurt out and freeze. You hope to everything out there that Lindsay didn't heat and she didn't appear to - but Chris had since stepped back in line with you two.

Your routine works out great, you stick well to it, it all just seems to fall into place on its own. As Christmas approaches, you're having your “down time” session in the common room when Aaron bursts in with a grin. “Y/N!” he cheers. “You've got two things to do this week!”

“Humour me,” you mumble with a smile, not moving from lying on your back on a couch. He stands over you and you sit up, “Oh god no, why would you do that?!”

Aaron cackles with laughter, “Don't flatter yourself, Y/N. I'm not exactly available now.”

Your eyes narrow at him in confusion, then widen with both realisation and excitement. “You asked Barb to the Yule Ball!” His nod has your heart soar - and then immediately sink. “So now…”

“Now you've gotta ask Chris,” he sits next to you and pokes your side as he sing-songs.

You roll your eyes, “Isn't it the guy who asks the girl?”

“What century are you in right now?! C'mon, normally you're the first to defend gender stereotypes!”

It's true, you were, but you'd find anything to mask the nerves caused by even thinking of the act of asking out Chris Demarais. Especially since this year he's been  working extra hard to keep trying to beat you.

You think all week of how you're going to ask him but soon the inspiration hits when the pair of you are studying together in the library. “This topic is so easy,” Chris brags.

“You sound confident,” you mumble back.

“Oh, I am,” he grins back devilishly.

“W-what are you willing to wager over that?” You stutter.

“What did you mean by that?” Chris asks, his brow furrowing.

You take a deep breath in. “Well, how about. If you do get a higher score than me...I’ll ask you to be my Yule Ball date in front of everyone.” Your cheeks flush a furious red.

Chris’ seem to tinge too, his ears turning especially red. “Sure. And I guess in the name of fairness, if by some completely unknown circumstance that you score more than me -” (“Don't push it,” you mumble and he laughs.) “I'll be the one to publicly ask you.”

Unable to properly form words, you nod and Chris grins to you in reply.

Once the list of everyone's grades goes up outside the Charms classroom, everyone clamours over it. You don't even need to see it as you hear some of your classmates discussing it; “Y/N will be happy, one more victory over Demarais!”

You punch the air and practically skip to the Quidditch pitch. You await the sight of Chris all day but you don't see him. At dinner time Aaron taps his watch and you shrug, gesturing to the Ravenclaw table to silently remind him it's out of your hands.

Suddenly an owl flies by and drops something in your lap. You look down and see a rose there. You pick it up in confusion when another flies over and drops yet another, both settling on your table. Ten more release flowers onto you followed by your own owl holding a scroll of parchment. You unroll it to read,

_Dear Y/N,_

_I'm not entirely certain in how to ask a girl out so I figured I'd wing it - are you happy now, Barb?!_

_(Sorry, she was watching over my shoulder)_

_Anyway, I know we said publicly ask but I also know you don't like big dramatic events so I figured this would be subtle yet public enough._

_Y/N, would you do me the honor of coming to the Yule Ball with me? Please tick:_

_□ Yes □ No_

_\- Chris_

You grin widely, ticking yes and holding it out long enough for Aaron - and apparently half your house - to read it too. Aaron chuckles softly, “Of course Barbara had something to do with this.”

You attached the ticked scroll to your owl and send it over to Chris, causing everyone to start talking, “God, finally!” “I always thought they were a thing.” “Why didn't you deliver a dozen roses to me by owl?!” “Ugh, I don't know what's gonna be worse, them glaring across the classroom over grades or making googly eyes at each other.”

You'd retaliate, but something about seeing Chris fist pump and excitedly hold it out for Barbara to see makes you feel like he genuinely wanted to ask you anyway. You collect up all twelve roses and smell them happily, and the twelve corresponding owls all hoot before taking off. Yours stays with Chris for a while longer as he pets it and tries to offer it some of his steak. You shake your head with laughter. That's just Chris all over.

Barb and Lindsay insist on you three spending the entire day in Gladrags. You think that's a little excessive - you don't need to spend all day there, right?

Wrong. You'd never thought to look at the dress robes section but God, was it beautiful. Every colour, every fabric. Some of them even changed colour when they moved.

As the other two gush over a glittering golden number, you head towards the sale rack. Your parents had promised to foot the bill and you don't want to put them out of pocket for the sake of you looking good for one night.

Your friends notice and join you, looking through as well. “Well, I can see why these are on sale!” Lindsay remarks at a particularly unflattering grey set.

“Yeah, what are you looking at these for?” Barbara asks you.

You shrug, mumbling, “All the others are expensive. Parents already said they'd pay but -”

“Oh, my dear!” An eccentric shopkeeper makes his way over to you. “Forgive, please forgive. You must tell the dress what you wish to do with it! Of course, this charm is very naughty, it straight away tries to convince people it can only be one way - come with me!” The three of you follow very warily as he picks out one dress. “Rental price, please!” He says clearly, and the number on the tag changes to tell you how much it costs per day.

Your eyes widen, “That's great!”

While Lindsay and Barbara test how polite and how insulting they can be for the tags to respond, one set catches your eye. They appear to be a dark green, but as someone accidentally walks into the rack, you notice it shimmer a deep blue. You wander up to it and ask it quietly for the rental price. Grinning, you take them off the rack and rush into the dressing room.

By the time the other two notice you've disappeared, you're already pretty much dressed. You don't even want to go out and show them - you just want to keep watching yourself twirl around in the mirrors. You eventually do and Barbara and Lindsay both gasp before squealing with excitement. The shopkeeper is practically bouncing up and down the store, telling people to look at you. Normally, you'd be embarrassed about something like that but in this, screw it. People should look at you.

You reluctantly get changed back into normal clothes and explain the payment situation to the shopkeeper. “Not to worry, my dear! Much like Ollivander’s wands, my robes choose their wearer. No doubt about it, these are your robes through and through!”

Barbara chooses a flowing light pink gown; Lindsay’s is a deep red with an orange-yellow ombre at the skirt, which she'd chosen, “so I can be sure that my look is on fire!” Barbara had almost welled up with pride at that.

You head to the post office and write a quick note to your parents explaining the payment for your robes. (“Why not send your owl?” “They'll want a guaranteed security owl to handle their money. It's easier for me to send it than for them to go all the way into town themselves.”)

The day of the Ball happens before you even realise. Your owl wakes you with an excited hoot, and as you open your eyes you see a hanger holding something covered. You quickly unzip it, take a glance at your dress robes and squeal happily before running down to breakfast. As you join Aaron in your usual spot, you catch Chris’ eye. He waves excitedly and you grin back, making him reciprocate.

“Aww, look at you two little lovebirds,” Aaron mutters, and you dig your elbow into his ribs.

“Look, it's one date to the Yule Ball,” you point out. There's still always been one thing you've been wary of this entire time.

“So? Soon there'll be another one, and another, and ano-” Aaron trails off, but the sounds of what could not happen put you off your food entirely.

“I'm not hungry,” you mutter before briskly setting off to the grounds. You're not certain why you're drawn to there, especially in winter.

You hear a, “Y/N, wait!” and see Aaron running after you with a covered plate of food and what looks like someone else's cloak. He sets your plate down near you and wraps the cloak over your shoulders. “Alright, look. I'm sorry if I teased you too much, it's just - this is so exciting!”

You give him a small smile as thanks. “I get it. This could be the start of something for you and Barb. I couldn't be happier for you two!”

Aaron furrows his brow. “I was talking about you and Chris, too.”

You let out a single laugh, “Ha! You said it yourself, Aaron. Chris doesn't commit. This is just one fun little way to destress before exam season kicks in.”

“Wait, but...You want to go with Chris, right?” Aaron asks slowly.

“I can't tell you, you're his best friend, you'll snitch on me immediately!” you try and chuckle, but it comes out as a dry, heavy laugh. Aaron shakes his head and draws a cross over his heart. “I think I've always wanted to date him. But I got it confused with wanting to wipe that smug look off his face every time he beat me.”

Aaron laughs, “Alright, since I never promised I wouldn't say anything about Chris to you - he admits to doing that to get your attention. Always has done.” You look up at Aaron questioningly and he continues, “Chris has never been good socially. I'm sure you've noticed,” you nod with a slight laugh. “But he gets a reaction out of you when he teases you. So he keeps doing it. Because he wants you to notice him.” You blush as Aaron concludes, “The reason Chris hasn't been able to commit yet is because nobody else is you.”

Without saying another word, you reach for the breakfast you had left behind, grateful for the thermal retention spell Aaron clearly cast on it. He pats your back, “Don't forget to return Josh’s cloak when you get in!” and leaves you to it.

It takes you two attempts at finding the right Josh. He thanks you, wrapping it around his tattoo-clad arms and asking if you were okay at breakfast. You nod and thank him for the cloak in the first place and head back to the common room. Your owl is sitting there again with a note in its beak.

_Y/N,_

_I hope you're well. It didn't seem like it at breakfast. If you wanted to blow the whole thing off, we could. Or if you're getting cold feet about going with me, that's acceptable too. I just thought I'd let you know those are always options._

_\- Chris_

You perch your owl on your shoulder as you go to your dorm to fetch some parchment and a quill when you notice another note on the floor. The owl hoots and hops down to get it. That must have been why it greeted you this morning.

You open up the note:

_Good morning, Y/N!_

_Meet me out by the library, say, 20 minutes before 7? I'll be the one looking so shockingly good you faint the moment you see him._

_\- Chris_

You laugh, the last of your doubt fading with it. You find what you need and reply:

_Chris,_

_I'm sure you're just worried you're gonna take one look at me and be blinded by how good I look. That's fine. I'll play along._

_(Really, I'm fine. I can't wait for tonight! See you at the library, nerd.)_

_- Y/N_

You look to your owl, “This is for -”

The owl interjects you as though it knows who it's going to and flies off through the hallways.

Later on, you and the other Slytherin girls all gather together to get dressed. The first years ask all the older ones for makeup advice and it honestly warms your heart. You get lots of comments on your robes, and talk soon moves onto dates.

“So, Y/N Demarais, huh?” one sixth-year teases.

You blush, “Shut up, it's one date to the Yule Ball!”

She scoffs, “Yeah, the first of many. Especially if he sees you like that. If he doesn't want to see you after this, that boy had better know what he's gonna be up against.” All the other girls cheer in agreement and you feel your chest welling up.

When everyone's finished, they go to the common room. Those with Slytherin dates react to each other excitedly. You look around for Aaron but he sneaks past from behind you, tapping your shoulder. “Wow, look at you! Chris is one lucky man,” he smiles as he twirls you around. He notices the change, “Oh, it's green because you're Slytherin and blue for his Ravenclaw! That makes sense. Did you tell him those were your colours?”

You shake your head slowly but then nod with realisation. “Barbara probably did to make sure we matched,” you giggle.

“That does sound like her,” Aaron nods, laughing with you.

“Anyway, mister,” you divert the conversation, “talk about Chris being lucky, look at you!” Every time you've seen a set of pastel blue male dress robes they make you cringe, but Aaron pulls it off so well.

He shrugs, smiling shyly as his cheeks tint, “Naw, this is nothing.”

“I beg to differ, I was almost attracted to you for like half a second there bu-” the rest of your sentence is drowned in laughter as he pretends to punch you in the arm. “Seriously, you two will look awesome together.”

“Yeah, that's not what I'm worried about,” Aaron genuinely looks nervous and your eyes widen.

“Aaron Marquis,” you fold your arms at him, “if you are going to claim all those things you did about Chris and then try and doubt one of my best friends for the exact same reason…”

Aaron laughs, “Alright, I guess that's kinda hypocritical of me.”

“Damn right it is,” you mumble, laughing with him.

At 6:30 you decide to start moving down to the library. Aaron practically squeezes you as he hugs you goodbye. “Knock him dead, kid,” he mutters into your ear just before you leave.

Thankfully, Chris is already standing by the library. He doesn't quite notice you yet, so you call out, “Oh man, I'm suddenly really weak at the knees for some reason!”

Chris sees you and gasps, “I'd totally help try and catch you but I've somehow just gone totally blind! I can't see a thing!” Both of you end up in a fit of giggles as you approach each other. “Although, all jokes aside, I'm glad you didn't actually blind me because now I get to see how pretty you are all night. Not that you're not always that way, of course - well, I guess it's kinda cute the way you scowl during History of-”

You interrupt him, “Chris. I'm not here to talk about classes. I'm here to be escorted by my very handsome date to the Yule Ball.”

Chris nods, “Right.” and offers you his arm. You loop your own around his as you both walk down to the Great Hall. “I, uh. I'm sorry about that just then. I'm not all that great at showing -”

“It's fine,” you hug his arm tightly. “I get it. But, uh, just so you know. You don't have to talk about grades to get my attention.”

“Well, what else do we have in common other than that? We've been arguing over everything going for like, forever.”

“Well, why don't you tell me about Divination? I admit my lack of interest is more to do with me not knowing anything about it,” you prompt.

You watch on affectionately as Chris excitedly babbles on about palm reading and tea leaves and dreams. He claims that his grandmother foresaw him getting his Hogwarts letter despite not showing much magical ability growing up, and the moment he did get that letter he promised her that he'd work as hard as he could to be the best wizard he could be. The whole story almost makes you feel bad for trying to beat him. Almost.

As you arrive you see everyone all dressed up and you're overwhelmed by how good they all look. You meet up with your group and all of you gush over how good everyone else looks. You giggle at how similar Miles’ and Blaine’s outfits are but they swear that's an accident. They're definitely both going stag.

Chris goes off to get some drinks and soon returns with a Butterbeer for you, still holding a pumpkin juice in his own hand. “I was gonna try and give you some juice too but then I figured hey, if you don't drink it there's more for me!”

“Exactly!” you grin. For quite some time Chris doesn't seem to want to dance. You do with your other friends, and even some fellow Slytherins.

When you hear the opening notes of Do The Hippogriff play, you beam to Chris who shakes his head. “Oh no,” he starts.

You take his hand. “C’mon, you've not danced all night, so now this one's gotta be your first.”

Chris looks down at your interlocked hands and the corners of his lips lift up. He looks up at you and sighs, standing up. You squeal excitedly and run with him to the dancefloor.

You talk him through every step at first and by the end he doesn't even need prompting. You raise your arms in excitement, “I knew you'd love it if you tried it!”

Chris rolls his eyes, and suddenly the song changes to a slow-paced one. Chris stammers out a, “W-would you- did you wanna - will you da-”

You wrap your arms around his neck and giggle, “There's your answer.” He smiles back, resting his arms around your hips.

You and Chris never take your eyes off each other. Thousands of thoughts swim around in your mind. You're literally a tiptoe away from kissing him. But what if he's not ready to kiss yet? But what if he's waiting for you to make the first move? What if he's thinking the exact same thing? What if he's thinking about what time the food table’s open?

Soon enough Chris pulls you in closer, hugging you tightly and resting his head on the top of yours. You return the embrace, breathing in his scent and letting your eyes flutter shut, savouring this moment.

The problem, it seems, with everyone from first year upward being allowed to come, is that it gets very crowded very quickly. Even when you excuse yourself to the grounds, they're filled. It's all a bit overwhelming.

Chris pants after you, “Y/N! There you are! I was getting worried, but Aaron said you'd try and find a place to sit out here.”

You nod, “Yeah. Not successful though. Bad move on my part,” you rub your arms and Chris immediately takes off the jacket part of of his robes and drapes it over your shoulders. You smile up at him softly, kissing his cheek in thanks.

You both freeze, you biting your lip up at him. He leans close, then stops. You tilt your head up and he takes that as an acceptance, holding your face in his hands as he gently presses his lips onto yours. You wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him back excitedly. When you break off, you play with his tie. “So, you know you made that offer to blow all this off? Is that still an option?”

Chris grins, “Absolutely,” and takes you by the hand, leading you through the castle all the way to the Room of Requirement. Chris paces it and a door appears, which Chris holds open for you.

It's the same room that you made when you first discovered it. Except there aren't any plates this time. You both sit on the couch for a moment before looking at each other and leaning on for another kiss as though a gravitational pull holds you together. You both start with sweet little pecks. Then they start to linger. You start to press harder with them. Chris guides both your lips and his to open while you kiss. The angle starts to get uncomfortable, so Chris scoops you up onto his lap, reaching up to run his fingers through your hair.

After a while you break off and curl up in his lap, nuzzling just under his neck. He wraps his arms around you tightly and you both stay like that for a while, watching the fireplaces flames jump and dance. “Thank you,” Chris breaks the silence.

“What for?” you giggle.

“I dunno. This. Coming to the Ball with me. Dancing with me. Kissing me,” a smirk appears at the last bit. “Tonight has been just fantastic.”

“I think so too. And thank you for asking me, dancing with me and kissing me too,” you smile, leaning into him.

“My pleasure,” he presses his lips to the top of your head. “And if ever you wanna do this again…”

“What, wait seven years for another Yule Ball, beat you in another test, have you invite me for us to run away from it -” You laugh as Chris tickles your sides.

“Hey, you’re the one that said no talking about classes! I just meant, the dating and the kissing and stuff. Or you don't have to pick both. But both is also an option.”

“Wanna go to Madam Puddifoot’s tea shop next weeken- wait,” you interrupt yourself and Chris leans over to look at you, puzzled. “With the dating, do I have to wait for the kissing too?”

Chris grins, guiding your chin down to kiss you again. “Not at all. Next weekend’s a date.”


End file.
